SOLO SLEEPING?

Cora fell asleep all by herself, in her crib, at daycare today. I guess there's a first time for everything. They were so shocked, they had to text me about it. Granted, it only lasted 20 minutes, but hey, it's CORA we're talking about here, so it's a start. Personally, I think she looks awfully comfy with her paci in one hand and lovey in the other (from her Auntie T'in and Uncle Davey - she LOVES it), with a foot up on the rail...

HE'S SUPER, THANKS FOR ASKING!

I'm one of those lucky girls who married a Super Man and later learned that he is also a Super Dad. I try very hard to give thanks and acknowledgement and show my gratitude on a daily basis, and to not take anything he does for granted, but I doubt it's enough. Not to balance out all that he does for me and the kids. And watching him read to my precious babies last night got me thinking about the many, many ways in which Jay is a SuperDad and SuperHusband...

He is balancing his full-time job and a full load of graduate coursework (staying an integral member of his team at work and pulling an 'A' average in school, no doubt) while maintaining a full contribution at home and losing very little, if any time with his kids. Folks, that is no small feat.

He makes coffee and breakfast every single morning. And he packs our lunches for work. And if I haven't done so the night before, he gets the kids' sippy's and bottles and food ready for daycare. Half the days of the week he cooks dinner too. And his meals are better than mine...

He is on poop patrol far more often than I am, spraying off dirty diapers and keeping the cats' litter box clean. And since he's usually up late (very, very late sometimes) studying, he often finishes up diaper laundry long after I've gone to bed.

He takes time off work to take his kids to the doctor or stay home with them if they're sick. He always asks the right questions of the doctor and is much better than me about remembering which kid took which medicine at which time.

He takes care of all the unpleasant fix-its at home, calling to schedule appointments through our home warranty to get the dishwasher fixed and the AC unit replaced and the cable line properly buried, etc. And he then takes the time off work to meet the service calls and follows up to be sure everything is done correctly.

He is patient with me when he has to set up Skype for the umpteenth time or remind me to empty the vacuum before I use it or take more and more portraits I request of the kids.

There is no task too menial or superfluous to him. He is an expert at distracting the kids while I clip their nails and tricking Cora into taking her medicine.

He can find the solution to just about any problem. Honestly. Last weekend I brought my sewing machine to Atlanta to have Jean help me load a new bobbin (since I'd forgotten how). Well, sitting at a table with no less than 3 women who have been sewing practically their whole lives, who figured out how to finally load the bobbin? Jay. Not only that, but he then loaded half a dozen bobbins for me in different colors to save me time and effort later. Not to mention, he can fix the machine when I snap the thread or lose the bobbin thread or get things snagged. Indispensable, I tell you. The man can do anything!

And even when he's so busy there is no word to adequately describe his need for solo time, he still takes the time to hug me and hold me and talk with me about my day. And he never gets off the phone without telling me he loves me.

So, while I do my own fair share of chores and tasks and whatnot at home, you can see why I was so happy to hear that Jay's overnight trip got cancelled last week. He is the glue that keeps us together and the energy that keeps us all moving and on-time (as often as he can manage us, anyway). Thank you sweetie, you are indeed Super!

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

FROM TUMMY TO BOOTY

Well, she's only done it once so far, so I have zero video or photographic evidence, but we're calling it a milestone reached today. Her Grambot and Grandpa can vouch for her, since she did it while we were Skyping this morning. We were talking about how Cora is finally starting to scoot forward (not just backward). She digs her tiny toes into the carpet (or bed), lifts her booty way up high, then flattens back out in an inch-worm motion that moves her forward ever so slightly. When she does it a few times in a row, so she can actually move enough to reach a toy (or her Mama). Fun stuff. So, I laid her on her belly in the hopes that she'd show off for her grandparents, but instead she pushed back and just sat right up, like she's been doing it forever. Of course, when I laid her back on her tummy so she could do it again for the camera and to show her Daddy, she threw a fit until I picked her up. Oh well, maybe tomorrow. Here's our little inch-worm outside yesterday afternoon. She had started off on the blue mat, up by the slide, but scooted herself backward off the mat and onto the tile. Good thing she landed in a spot that had been warmed by the sun, or that belly of hers would have been awfully cold...

BLS: BREAKFAST

I know it's been a while since I've done a BLS post, but I promise we're still feeding Cora. And we're still introducing new foods a few times per week. We just don't often remember to get out the camera. 2nd child syndrome...

Lately we've been focusing on breakfast foods. Cora has had pancakes, eggs, blueberries, apples and applesauce, and peach yogurt (YoBaby). She loves pancakes! Jay makes her the cutest little baby-sized pancakes and she gobbles them up. Eggs were a hit, especially with shredded cheese on top. Blueberries we cut into quarters (so she can't choke on them) and she picks them up one at a time, works them around to get the "meat" off, then spits the skins out. We went from sliced apples, to just giving her the center to gnaw on, and she loves it. We also tried spoon-feeding her some applesauce. She's not a big fan of being fed, but she'll let us give her a few bites. Since it worked with applesauce, we tried yogurt again this morning. Jay fed her about a quarter of the continer of YoBaby. As for new dinner foods, she's been joining us at The Hat, eating tortillas, refried beans, and guacamole. Next time we'll try the rice too.

I think it's getting harder to remember to post about her new foods because we don't really plan for them, we just give her bits and pieces of whatever we're eating. It makes feeding her SO very easy. Not that we minded taking the time to buy special foods for James that we could then steam and puree in mass quantities on the weekends, but BLS is definitely faster, simpler, and more fun. And I think Cora's fine motor skills are improving quickly with all the practice she gets while feeding herself, so it's really a win-win situation for all of us. Now, if only her good example would get James to eat HIS veggies...

ANOMALY?

Earlier this week, I got a text message from daycare that Cora had, for the first time ever, fallen asleep on her tummy (during play time). I told them I needed photographic evidence:

Then, this morning after I crawled out of bed, she rolled into my vacant spot and proceeded to sleep for another hour on her tummy.

Anomaly? Or is this girl turning into a tummy sleeper at the ripe ol' age of 8.5-months?...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTIE T'IN

I've got my makeshift party hat on for ya...

MORE FROM ATLANTA

We received a CD of more fun Atlanta photos from Christina, so of course I had to share some...

Here is Jay at the bottom of the whale slide:

Cora smiling BIG in the whale shark ampitheater:

Talking to Will in the double stroller at the zoo:James on the giraffe:Cora giving Christina a little smirk:Adorable photo of Cora with her Daddy (and Ma-Maw in the background):She's so darn cute, let's look at that one close up:And finally, James and Mama on one of the slides at the playground:

HELLO?

With his Elmo phone in one hand and a "letter" for Cora's toy mailbox in the other. Letters don't actually "talk" buddy...

STILL INFECTED

Cora had her ear re-check appointment this morning. Once again, Jay took her into the doc (I had a baby shower to attend). An hour in the waiting room, another hour in the exam room. Long morning for him! Oh, and the bottle liner collapsed (which NEVER happens) and he lost half her morning milk. Apparently she didn't care though. And now we know why, since her left ear is still infected. Mildly infected, but infected none the less. And she has a bit of a respiratory infection/cold to top it all off. They gave her a shot and prescribed another round of (stronger) antibiotics. If we hadn't caught the respiratory infection today, she likely would have progressed to fever in the next few days. Poor baby doll. She's sleeping it off in my office...

And she weighed EXACTLY the same as she did 2 weeks ago: 17 lbs 14 oz

Oh yeah, and once again, we forgot to put a bow on her head and somebody called her a boy. Seriously? The girl is wearing a dress and PINK TIGHTS! (And Jay was carrying her when this happened, it's not like she was strapped into the carseat or anything - Jeez people!)

MY NEWBORNS

We are quickly approaching James' 2nd birthday (only one week to go!) and I am feeling extremely sentimental. As I watch him run and dance and swing and march and dangle and climb and play and talk and laugh and sing and sass me, it is getting harder and harder to remember the day when he was just an 8 lb butterball bundle of newborn squishiness. And as Cora is starting to babble and scoot and spin and pull-up and really play with her toys, I can't help but wonder where my teeny tiny 6 lb baby doll has gone.

And these thoughts, my friends, are how baby fever gets started. Good thing my terrific (not terrible, for I insist on being optimistic about this upcoming year of the two's) toddler and fiesty infant keep reality in check. Way to go kiddos!

MOMMY TIME

Well, I've been slacking a bit on one of my New Years' Resolutions. There hasn't been a lot of free time so far this year, what with travel and sick days and snow days and Jay's unfortunate class schedule (two nights a week during the dinner/bath/bedtime hours), but I decided that today was a great day to blow off work an hour early and go collect my little man for some one-on-one time. Rather than hit the gym or park, I thought it would be fun to go on a short nature walk. We looked at flowers and trees, we called the birds, we played in the dirt and fallen leaves, and came across some train tracks. James seemed to really enjoy himself, so I must make more of an effort to do this every other week or so. LOVE spending time with my baby boy!

(The sucker was just a bonus treat, left over from the Valentine's candy his teacher gave him that we never even showed him, since he's too young for candy in our opinions...)

BIO-DIESEL

Fueled by Mama :-)

HANGING WITH THE FAM

We neglected to get a single picture of Cora with her namesake during the Waddell Family Christmas, so we were sure to remedy that this weekend. GG was happy to get a chance to hold her, and Cora behaved well (I had worried that she'd be flailing and dancing and causing a ruckus). These adorable ladybug jammies are the ones GG bought her.

The night before, when we left Aunt Sara's house to go back to Jill and Marv's for the night, we told James to tell everyone 'bye-bye' and to blow kisses and say 'I love you'. Well, I've heard him say 'I love you' twice, both times to Jay, even though I am near constantly asking him to tell ME these days. And who does he say it for? His GGmama. He told her "Bye-bye GG, la luv you". How absolutely adorable is that?

After dinner, Julia played the piano for us, and James was completely fascinated with her (and her piano).

And she was sweet enough to teach him Octopus' Garden. Or "oc-pus", as James says it.

James was quite the Mama's Boy this weekend, starting Saturday afternoon. Since there were so many willing hands to hold Cora, my arms were free, and I suppose James figured it was thus HIS turn for some extended mama-time. All weekend long I heard "Uppie!", "Mama!", and "Mm-hmm-hmm-hmm" (which is 'whine' for "hold me please"). While a bit trying at times, I openly admit that I loved being the center of his attention. Especially the bedtime cuddles, which I very rarely get to enjoy, since he's usually a daddy's boy...

It was a great weekend. We were so thankful to get to see some of the family, and it was really fun to hang with the Kennedys outside of the 'Burg. I do believe our next adventure should be camping. Eh? Whadya say guys? We need a trial run before we head to Yellowstone this summer...

ZOO ATLANTA!

Our second great adventure this weekend was Zoo Atlanta. Lots of cool animals, big open exhibits, and some fun playgrounds for the kiddos. James even fed some parakeets.

Cora posed with one of the MANY bronze statues:

James loved walking around with his Uncle Gerald and Ma-maw:And hanging with Will:And posing for his own silly photos:My favorite animals were the Red Panda and Komodo Dragons (BABY komodo dragons!)No, we don't know the other kids in this photo. In fact, there were a few girls sitting there before I finally managed to find the camera buried in the diaper bag. This little table was next to one of the playgrounds, and after we handed James his sippy cup, he trotted right on over and sat with the other kiddos. It seemed they all flocked there for a little break. It was pretty darn cute.

When did our little monkey learn to dangle? Who taught him that? Why is he growing up so fast?

When he got sleepy, I scooped him up into his Beco, but he never did nap. Too much to see and do. He sure loved the elephants. One of them was "dancing" and he kept telling me to "Sing! Sing!" (I suppose to keep the elephant dancing?...)

Cora spent most of the day being carried around in her Beco as well. Because that's what Cora likes best. When she's not eating, of course. Carried by me. And by her Daddy. She was cracking me up, hiding her face under the strap while Jay was carrying her. He kept thinking she was asleep, but when I'd peek, she'd just stare right back at me. Eventually she did nap though, unlike her big bro. And yes, Jay got lots of sweet smiles and "awe, that's so cute's" from the ladies, since young and old, no woman can resist a babywearing daddy.

I took James on his VERY FIRST TRAIN RIDE!

(Here he is thinking "What is this ticket for Mama?"...)It was a ridiculously short ride (3 minutes, MAYBE), but James loved it. Dark, loud tunnel and all. Afterwards (and after a snack) he was running around saying "Moh? Moh? Moh tee-wain?" But alas, there was no more ticket. So we hit another playground instead. And he was a happy, happy little man!

And this is the result of 2 full days of nonstop action: 2 exhausted kiddos!

GEORGIA AQUARIUM

We spent a busy and fun day at the Georgia Aquarium with Jean and Gerald, and our buddies the Kennedys. Everyone had a good time, we saw a LOT of different fish, and we managed to wear-out the kids. We started off with the Whale Shark exhibit. That's one of the four Whale Sharks up above Jay's head:

My boys, swimmin' with the fishes... African cichlids:They had TWO albino alligators!Family portrait at the Pacific Barrier Reef (James napped for almost an hour in our arms): The Whale Sharks were so cool, we went back for seconds. (Plus, the ampitheater was the perfect atmosphere for a napping James and nursing Cora.) You can see Al and Christina ahead of me on the moving platform in the tunnel here, with one of the Whale Sharks above their heads:Cora was just as impressed as the rest of us...At the end of the day we grabbed a photo of the kiddos, all nestled back into their strollers. When we tested Will in the stroller next to Cora, James got a bit jealous, so we gave him his spot back.

Oh, and that's not Nemo. It's Deepo, or something like that. We skipped the show because we didn't think the kiddos would sit still (or stay quiet) for it. Though 3D fish DOES sound fun. Maybe next time...